Your Apple Delivery Experiences...

C

CreativeEye

Registered
On the 3rd of May I ordered a BTO 15" Powerbook from the online Applestore in the UK...

Here I am on the 22nd of May and Apple have been unable to tell me where my PB is - or even when they 'think' I might get it.

When I first ordered it I was told it would be around a week... When that date arrived I was told it would be another couple of days.. Then when that day came I was told another couple of days... Then when that day came I was told... well you get the picture...

The distressing thing is that apple don't seem to be able to even firmly tell me where in the world / production & delivery process my PB is... The online tracking tools I'm using (and I'm using all the ones at my disposal) are not only giving me conflicting info - but are telling me that my PB has gone from China to the Netherlands - then back to China, and is now on its way back to the Netherlands...

A few days ago I took it up with a supervisor at the Apple store - who has been very understanding and helpful - but surely this isn't right?... surely it shouldn't take this long?... surely Apple should at least be able to tell me where in the world it is?... why continually tell me I would get my PB 'within a couple of days' if in fact thats as far from the truth as possible?... The supervisor has admitted that I should have had it by now... Especially considering Apple have already taken the money for it.

If they said from the beginning that it would take anything upto 3 weeks (or if they quoted this on their website [and thats hoping that it arrives in this coming week!]) then I would have considered my purchase online a little harder and tried to find a source who might have been able to get it to me a little faster. I know a 'switcher' right now who wants to buy a BTO iBook - and after exuding the virtues of Macs - I'm finding it hard to tell them to buy direct from Apple.

Has anyone else here had to wait much longer than originally (and then subsequently and constantly misleadingly) quoted? What came from it? Who can I actually take this up with and get some real answers as to what's happened to my Powerbook?!
 
Had the same problem when I ordered my PB when the new range was just introduced. The factors around mine were slightly different coz the apple store in SA had a huge waiting list but when I first placed my order I was told it would take a week. On the promised delivery date I was told I would have to wait for a month, at the very least. i couldn't wait for a whole month coz I'd already sold my old laptop. I cancelled my order thru SA and placed my order directly with Apple US. Had to pay a bit extra (which pissed me off), but i got the comp in 6 days. Its a logistical nightmare for Apple stores outside the US and this has been discussed in several magazines and sites. For example, the Apple store in SA depends on Apple UK for its stock. And you've experienced Apple UK's 'efficiency' first hand. That means that Apple UK would first have to satisfy their market before sending some items to Apple SA. The stock literally trickles in. Then the Apple dealer in Namibia would have to get his stock from Apple SA...you get the picture.
 
I still simply walk into my favourite store and ask them if they have the machine I want. If they do, I buy it and walk home with it. I sometimes even call them before I go there, so I don't have to go there for nothing... ;)

For TFT screens, I find it also important to take a good look at the screen before buying a machine. If the display has only one or two dead pixels, they ain't gonna replace it afterwards. So rather have them unpack another one than buying a machine that might get on your nerves after a while.
 
gphillipk - i certainly hope that after all this time apple don't tell me it'll be delayed by a month!


right now i'm in the same position - i've sold my current machine - based on the delivery estimations of apple - i even gave myself a weeks cushion...

apples stocking, and delivery estimates do seem a bit skewiff... regardless of what i've bought on the apple online store - the quoted dates on it have been totally wrong. the last thing i bought was an external hard drive - the online estimate for delivery being 3-5 days - when i called to purchase it i was told anything upto 2 weeks!... so i went through amazon and got the same thing delivered in 3 days...


fryke - originally i did call my local (local being 2 hours away!) apple store - they didnt have the bto i wanted but said i could come in and order it - the option of staying where i was and calling the apple store - saving on train fare and travel was a much better one! though i think that i might still have been in the same predicament!.

i had a call from apple today telling me that it will definately be with me tomorrow - that they have called TNT and had it confirmed... i called TNT right after the call and they still can't find it! - i checked their online tracking and that is at least now telling me that its in Europe!
 
My Powerbook arrived about 2 weeks after I ordered it, I ordered it on a Sunday, it came on a Friday. Only customisation was 256mb more RAM.

The online tracking is confusing, the tracking number given along with your Web Order number means nothing. You have to wait (even if it says shipped) for a while. Then they email you with the info, such as a TNT tracking number, etc. It was rather cool to check the site, and see that my Powerbook had just touched down at the airport.

It's not a bad service.

I ordered some Apple in-ear headphones on Thursday, got here today. Only complaint was that they gave me about 8 emails AFTER I received the earphones, telling me about shipping information, etc.
 
OMG. i fisrt put an order through to the apple store, put my details in and pressed buy. then it went downhill. i can't remember exactly all the details, but eventually after about 3 weeks of the delivery driver crap going everywhere, i finally got it. october ish i paid for it, novemberish i got it... the ipod was even worse - it went from china to another factory to be ;laser engraved, took ages, went to the netherlands, took ages, went to newcastle, took ages then went to wrexham and got passed back and forth to my house and back as noone was in every time.... grrrr i will buy from a shop next time, no doubt
 
Had the lazer engraved iPod delay also.

Furthremore, what annoyed me was that Apple site told me that my order was with a specific carrier when actually it was with another. So I had mucho difficulties tracking my shipment.

I finally bought one un-engraved, had it engraved locally, used it a few days and only thed did the Apple order arrive. Which, you guessed it, went back for a full refund.

I also wonder why apple insists in talking "business days" for delivery delays. I see the justification and common sense in this when delays are respected. But when delays are not respected they might as well talk of "normal" calendar days.
 
There is some pretty interesting stories in here. I didn't know Apple was kinda, crappy, with their delivery service. The only story I have is I bought a 15G iPod a few days after they were cut some in price. (this was sometime last year) It was lazered with a custom quote on the back and everything. It shipped out before the week end and came the next week on Wednesday.
 
I never have and never will buy computers, software,
or accessories directly from apple - resellers have much
better prices and usually include extra bonus products
such as RAM and/or peripherals.

Most of my purchases have also included free shipping and no sales tax - which is an added bonus.
 
Not directly appls tore, but apple related, the iPhoto Shipping costs are not published for some odd reason.

Now if you live in Europe, you will notice that the shipping fees are quite expensive for "standard" shipping - and there is no alternate.

Cherry on the cake, you order 2 copies of the same book, the shipping fess double. Order 1000, the shipping fee is 1000 times bigger.
 
hmm you should try to work for apple, all those nasty customers,"where is my ibook??" they simply do not supply enough for the demand. all these stories of it has been shipped are probably just to keep you happy while they are building the items.

very poor effort no wonder they only have 3% of the computer market.

what would happen if a mega nasty virus hit windows machines and alot more people turned to mac's???

more nasty people

for a ram upgrade it is always better to buy from a reseller which takes around 2 mins to put in.
 
I've been surfring around a bit and it seems quite a lot of people are not too satisied with the apple store delivery times.

I don't really know the exact details about this, but if you have ordered items which are shipped from Asia, the TNT tracking service does not work until your order has arrived the Netherlands or Luxembourg (and that may take some time - I order an iBook 7 days ago and it still hasn't left Asia).

So - here's a tracking service which enables you to track your order from the very first moment: www.apecode.com

This is a quote from this site:

"Use this if the tracking-link from the Apple Store page doesn't work for you. Seems like this is a problem for Apple-customers in Europe only. Kuehne & Nagel is the logistics company used by Apple which handle everything from your computer is built until it is delivered to TNT for local delivery. This usually happens in Luxembourg. This means that you can see what happens from you get the shipment notification until the tracking information is available at TNT."

But does anybody know how long it takes from when my order has arrived the Netherlands till when I get it? I live in Norway ... And is it the TNT themselves who ship it to me, or is it a more 'local' company?

Thanks
 
Chaudry, as an European applestore customer and well aware of the K&N issue, your first post proves to be a wellcome info. Thanks.
 
My delivery was fast as anything, I ordered it Feb 27 2004, and i had it the day after my Birthday (Nice Present!) March 5, 2004
 
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